Page 66 of Abdominal Snowman

“I didn’t know, Sunshine. I’m so sorry about your parents.” He stroked her hair as he held her in the stretching silence.

“You should read the letters,” she told him, leaning back just enough to capture his gaze. What she saw there was a storm of conflicting emotions.

Soren contemplated her for just a moment, and in that moment it was like she’d finally made progress on breaking down his walls, even if it was just a tiny chip so far.

He hummed noncommittally, the we’ll see understood without needing words. Either Soren would read the letters, or he wouldn’t. She couldn’t force him, and pushing wasn’t the answer.

Prodding him gently, however, would be another conversation. One maybe over another Jenga game.

Heat speared her at the flash of memory, his hands gripping her hips. Her cheeks flushed, and she cleared her throat before glancing up at Soren, then all the tiny figurines against the wall.

“Do you want help getting these packed up for Jane?”

Distraction.

“Yeah,” he said softly.

Sage made a move to jump down from the table, but Soren didn’t budge. Only when she glanced back up at him did he speak. “But not right now.”

Soren leaned down and kissed her. She gasped as his weight pressed into her, and he sipped from the seam of her lips before he swiped his tongue to meet hers. Sage pressed into him, parting her lips for him even more. He growled, and the sound vibrated her mouth enough to tickle.

“Soren!” she said with a laugh, breaking away. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, breathless as he stared down at her. The grin he shared was cheeky. “Maybe talking about emotions is sexy? Is that a kink? Does TikTok tell you that?”

Her cheeks flushed, but she laughed, and Soren—

Soren roved his hands down her body, taking away her breath again. His hands came to a stop at her ass, and as he cupped her and pulled her against his chest, all she could think about was how much bigger he was.

Heat speared low in her stomach, and with greedy fingers she slid her hands up Soren’s shirt. He hid a shiver by reaching up with one hand and tugging the shirt over his head. Taking advantage of the freed real estate, she slid her hands upward and sighed happily.

“Something on your mind, Sunshine?”

She shifted her gaze up and nodded. “Always.”

Arching a brow, he slipped his fingers into the waistband of her leggings. “Good.”

In what she assumed was supposed to be one smooth move, he tugged them down her legs. They got caught on her knees, and at first Soren was too close for her to straighten her legs to ease the glide. He had to step back, and she had to lift her legs, and then there were shoes in the way—how dare she try to protect her toes—and she was giggling by the time her leggings finally hit the floor.

“That could’ve gone better,” he admitted, straightening to his full height. His cheeks were flushed.

“We can always practice,” she suggested innocently.

Soren’s smirk was going to be the death of her.

He pulled her to the edge of the table, against him, and with one less barrier, she could feel him better. Sage gasped, pressing herself against him, and reached up to pull his head down to hers. She lapped at him, growing desperate for more. His scent, thick like pine and light like fresh snow. His taste, of the coffee he’d had without her. His touch, hard and soft at the same time. Fingers pressing into her skin.

The kiss deepened, and Sage became greedy. She slid her hands over his abs, over his back. Tugged at him to come closer, scraped her nails through the dense hair on his chest. It was just like the fur he had when he was an abominable, downy.

Once again, she was bombarded by the idea of being with Soren like this but… in his beast form.

He’d be taller, bigger.

But the way he moved his body against hers erased all other thoughts from her mind but now. They moved together, against one another, in a heavenly friction that was just shy of being enough. But of course, Soren knew that. And Sage knew he knew, the bastard.

“Soren,” she warned, even if it did come out awfully similar to a whine.

“Yes?” Soren asked innocently.